Cotton-boll separator.



W. A, PATTERSON.

COTTON BOLL SEPARATOR.

/NVENTH Z734 Waffe wor( By MMM @a TTHNEY THE NORRls PETERS CO., PHOTGYLITHO.. WASHING YON, D. C

W. A. PATTERSON.

COTTON BOLL SEPARATOR. APPLIUATIOH FILED 11111.16, 1914..

1,130,102. Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2A 'HE NDRRIS PETERS C0.. PH07L '.ITHO., WASHINGTGN, D4 CA @MTE SATS@ FATElQll-f FFQE.

WARREN A. PATTERSON, 0F DALLAS, TEXS.

COTTON-BLL SERATGR.

Application led January 16, lille.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WARREN A. PATTER- soN, citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, Dallas county, rTexas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Boll Separators, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to new and useful cotton boll threshing machines and is particularly adapted for breaking up dry cotton bolls, cleaning and separating` the fiber from the boll and stem.

Primarily the object of the invention is to provide means for crushing, agitating and opening the dry cotton bolls and removing the fiber or seed cotton from same without breaking the fiber and loweringthe grade of the staple.

An object of the invention is to have an agitating chamber provided with a number of slots through which the cotton fiber will be discharged, either by suction or air` pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum 0r discharge chamber positioned adjacent to the agitating chamber and adapted to receive and convey the cleaned lint cotton away from the machine and also to provide a similar discharge or vacuum box to convey olf the bolls and other waste material. 1

`W ith these and other objects in view, the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example of which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the cotton separating machine in side elevation. Fig. :2 is a sectional view of the machine the section being taken upon the line wof Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken upon the line m-m of Figi 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view in plan, the section being taken upon the line jz/-y/ of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a partial View of one of the revolving agitators. Fig. 6 is a view taken upon the line a-a of Fig. 4.

Referring now more in particular to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates the agitating chamber and the numerals 1 and 2 the top and bottom walls of said chamber. The side walls are respectively Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Serial No. 812,372.

designated by the numerals 3 and 4:. The ends 6 complete the walls of the chamber. Lall walls are joined substantially air tight. rlhe structure just referred to is supported ,by a plurality of transverse bars, said bars being in turn fiushly joined at right angles with two longitudinally parallel beams 7 which are in turn supported by the legs 8.

The bottom or floor 2 of the agitating chamber is preferably of rolled sheet steel or similar material, and as shown in Fig. l, is formed of a. number of strips or sections. rllhese floor sections are shown spaced apart providing a plurality of longitudinal slots or openings 9. Means are provided for varying the width of these slots. rlhis is done by shifting the sections farther apart or closer together. To accomplish this end one section 2'd is, in this case, permanently secured by screws 10 to the bars 6. The other sections 2 of the floor are provided with slots 11 through which are inserted the screws 10, said screws being adapted to rigidly and firmly hold the sections in place after said sections have been laterally adjusted and the widths of the slots have been proportioned.

The slots 9 in the floor of the agitating chamber will generally, in the use of the machine, be of the same width throughout. But the provisions furnished for shifting the movable sections make it possible to vary the width of the slot throughout its entire length, or to make the said slot wider at one end than the other. A solid floor 12 of substantially the same material as the floor 2 adjoins the said floor sections 2 and is adapted to perform functions hereinafter set forth.

A number of horizontally parallel agitator shafts 14: are longitudinally mounted in the agitating chamber and journaled in bearings 15. A pulley 16 is fixed to one of the shafts and is adapted to receive its power from any suitable form of motive power. The shafts will preferably equal in number the number of slots carried in the floor of the chamber.

A plurality of arms 16 are carried by the shafts 1.4-, and are arranged in the same plane upon said shaft. The plurality of shafts 14 have their arms 16 so arranged, as illustrated, that they will revolve in proximity with each other without interfering. The extremities of the arms 16 rigidly carry a reach beam 17 Ywhich inturn fcarries a flexible wiper 18 of leather or other vsuitable material upon itsedge. The wiper is secured to the reach beam with vrivets or brads as designated by the numeral 19 and has its edge extend beyond the outer edge of the beam 17. As will later be'seen the wipers are adapted to pass across the slots and iiex or yield to the cotton bolls or fiber which may be in the slots.

A hopper 20 is provided at one end of the machine to receive the cotton. The cotton will be'pulled in this hopper by the suction o f an element of the machine later mentioned.

AV discharge or vacuum chamber B is carried beneath the chamber A and has its side walls 21 contiguous with the inner edges of vthe beams V'7. The ioor or bottom of the chamber B is designated by the numeral 22. The ends 23 of said chamber vB close and form a substantial air tight chamber.

A train of spur gearsv14a are fixed upon the shafts 14 and are adapted to drive said gears.

It is now seen how the slots V9 form the onlypas'sage way from the agitating chamber A to the discharge chamber B. An air chute 24 communicates with one extremity of the chamber B. This air chute, in actual -practice and operation of the machine, is

adapted to connect with a centrifugal exhauster or vacuum pump, `(not shown). This it will be seen sets up a vacuum throughout the machine, a further descrip tion of same will be later hereinafter given. y An. outlet 25 is providedin the wall 4 of A,the chamber A. This outlet as seen is in the end of themachine opposite the hopper 2 and opens directly into a'vacuum box or discharge chute 26. The side walls 27.0f the vacuum boxlie contiguous with the wall 4 of the chamber A and forms a substantial air tight compartment accessory to said vlili shaped feed to the feeder 29; while the lowerl chamber A. Said vacuum boxforms an exit and means ofdisposal for the waste product such as bolls, stalks and dirt. Journaledin bearings 28 in the lower extremitiesof the walls 27 of the vacuum boX- is a horizontal shaft or feeder 29. Said shaftrcarries a pulley 29a and four radiating vanes. 30 disposed at right angles about the shaft. These vanes are equal in length to the distance between the side walls 27. Flexible wipers 31,'similar to the wipers 18, are carried upon the outer edges of the vanes 30.l A pairY of arcuate plates 32 are disposed in the lower yportions of the chute 26 and the upper portion of said plates have such a contour and shape as will form` a substantiallyv funnel portions are arcuate in form and encompass the'feeder l29 lwith a radius Vequal to'that of the radius of one of the vanes 30.

In the voperationof the machine motiver fuse orbolls from the solid oor 12 through Y' the opening 25 into the vacuum box. Motive power will also be applied to the pulley 29a which will slowly revolve the feeder 29. The air chute 24 should nowl communicateV with a 'vacuum fan .(not shown) and a. vacuum setup through the chute 'and corre- ,lated chambers Aand B. ,'It is here to be understood that the slots'9 will be adjusted in width just suiiicient to prevent the'cotton bolls, that is the dry bolls and other refuse, from falling through into the chamberV B. The slots are adapted to allowthe cottonVV fiber or seed cotton only to pass'through and prevent the broken bolls, stems and other waste product from passing into the chamy ber B. The unharvested and dry bolled cotton will now be fed in vthrough the hop-l Y per 2. The revolving agitators and suction through the slots 9 will distribute the bolls over the floor of the chamber A, The draft through the slots will-draw the dry bolls over and against the edges forming the'slots, but not `throughsaid slots.` The revolving wipersvlS of the agitatorswill pass in close contact to the slot and crush and open'v the dry bolls. The exposed fiber is immediately drawnthrough the slot 9 and .into the discharge chamber-and passes out through the air chute and exhausting fan. The bolls and other waste products are gradually worked vtoward the opening 25 and are thrown into The feeder 29 slowly revolves and as seen will always have two vanes-brushingin con- .v tact with the members 32.` charge the bollsv and refuse and allow only a minimum of air to enter. i Y Y Y In some cases air pressure might be used i f through the machine` rather Vthan suction. In this case a draft of air would 'be passedfll in through the hopper 21 and along with the cotton to be.v harvestedorseparated. This method lwould tendv vto press thefcotton Yfiber th-rough the slots rather 'than pullit through.

' Thisvrinvention ispre'SentQdl as including 1'20 all such modifications and changes asmay properly come within the scopeof the following claims. f i

VWhat I claim is: Y .1 1. A cotton separating machine consisting 1'25 of a chamber havi-nga hopper atV one end Y and an outlet near the other end, the floor of said chamber having ,adjustable slots for the passage of the seed cotton, meansl within Y said chamber to break the bolls. and dis- 1130.

This will discharge the hulls through the outlet, and suction means to draw the seed cotton through the slots.

2. ln a cotton separating machine consisting of a chamber having a receiving hopper and an outlet, the floor of said chamber having a plurality of adjustable slots for the passage of the seed cotton, a plurality of horizontal shafts in the chamber, iieXible wipers correlated with the shafts and adapted to wipe the slots in the loor and suction means to draw the seed cotton through the slots.

3. ln a cotton separating machine consisting of a chamber having a receiving hopper and an outlet, the floor of said chamber having a plurality of adjustable slots for the passage of the seed cotton, a plurality of horizontal shafts in the chamber, iexible wipers correlated with the shafts and adapted to wipe the slots in the loor and pressure Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

means for forcing the seed cotton through the slots.

4f. ln a cotton boll separating machine, an awitating chamber, an inlet hopper at one eri-lid and an outlet near the other` the floor of said chamber having adjustableslots for the passage of seed cotton, shafts arranged longitudinally within the agitating cham ber and arranged above the slots, arms carried by the said shafts, reach beams carried by the extremities of the arms, flexible wipers carried by the beams and suction means provided for drawing the seed cotton through the slots.

In testimony whereof l aiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WARREN A.. PATTERSON.

Witnesses J. C. LEDBETTER, HARRY TOMPKINS.

Washington, D. C. 

